Dominic Larkin, who survived survived a drowning incident after three months at Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston, is pictured with his siblings Austin and Lyndy, and his parents Melissa and James, on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, outside of the Larkin household in The Woodlands. less

Dominic Larkin, who survived survived a drowning incident after three months at Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston, is pictured with his siblings Austin and Lyndy, and his parents Melissa and ... more

Photo: Michael Minasi, Staff

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Dominic Larkin, who survived survived a drowning incident after three months at Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston, is pictured on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, outside of the Larkin household in The Woodlands. less

Dominic Larkin, who survived survived a drowning incident after three months at Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital in Houston, is pictured on Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016, outside of the Larkin household in The ... more

Photo: Michael Minasi, Staff

Image 3 of 7

In this 2013 file photo, families gaze at a 70-foot Christmas tree during a tree lighting ceremony at Market Street in The Woodlands.

In this 2013 file photo, families gaze at a 70-foot Christmas tree during a tree lighting ceremony at Market Street in The Woodlands.

Photo: Staff Photo By Ana Ramirez

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Kids of all ages watch the lighted carriages celebrated during the Lighted Carriage Parade at Market Street-The Woodlands.

Kids of all ages watch the lighted carriages celebrated during the Lighted Carriage Parade at Market Street-The Woodlands.

James Larkin had only been at work for 15 minutes when his 11-year-old daughter Lyndy called him. It was a Saturday in February and the father of three had just left his family after meeting them for lunch. His first thought was that they had been in a car accident but were probably OK.

He didn't expect to hear that his youngest son, 18-month-old Dominic, had nearly drowned. Larkin asked Lyndy to repeat herself, even though he heard her the first time.

"Is he breathing?" Larkin asked.

"Mom's giving him CPR."

Larkin rushed from The Woodlands Country Club, where he works as a golf instructor, to his home in the Village of Alden Bridge. When he arrived, the front door was open, first responders were already there and Dominic was lying on the living room floor on a gurney.

Larkin later learned that his wife Melissa, who was coming from a morning soccer game for their older son Austen and preparing to drive the kids to College Station for a niece's birthday party, hadn't realized that the back door didn't close all the way when she came in after lunch.

As she was getting ready to leave for the party, she lost track of the toddler for a few minutes. When she realized Dominic was missing, she searched the house, calling for him. Austen, who was 6 at the time, looked out an upstairs window to see his little brother in the family's hot tub.

"Dominic is in the hot tub! He drowned in the hot tub!" he yelled to his mother.

Melissa rushed outside, grabbed Dominic from the water and screamed for Lyndy to call 911 before performing CPR on the toddler. Dominic aspirated, throwing up water and the remnants of his lunch.

For the next couple of months, Dominic battled a number of health problems: an infection in his lungs, a liver rupture, a blood clot the size of a small watermelon and kidney failure.

"There were so many moments in a month and a half that it was life and death," Larkin said.

But Dominic was a fighter. With his parents at his bedside the entire time and the doctors' efforts, Dominic was able to recover completely.

In May, he was finally able to return home and go back to being the lively child he was before the accident, pretending to be JJ Watt and delighting in tearing down all of his brother's Lego or Lincoln Log creations.

On July 30, a few hundred people gathered at The Woodlands United Methodist Church to celebrate Dominic's second birthday. And this holiday season, Dominic was chosen to be the Lighting Luminary - a special community member who is selected to receive VIP treatment at The Woodlands Market Street's Christmas tree lighting.

Dominic and his family will stand up in front of the crowd that gathers at Market Street at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, and flip a switch, starting the light show and officially kicking off the holiday season in The Woodlands.

"It's an unbelievable honor," James Larkin said. "To even have Dominic here and to be a family of five is a tremendous gift, and to be able to share that gift with the community that really supported us … this holiday is going to be one to cherish."